Calvin Wankhede / Android Authority
TL;DR
- OpenAI is now expected to launch its first AI phone sooner, with mass production tipped for the first half of 2027.
- MediaTek is reportedly now the frontrunner to supply the device’s processors, which could be a customized Dimensity 9600 built on TSMC’s advanced N2P node.
- The chip is said to prioritize AI and vision features, including a dual-NPU design, upgraded ISP for HDR sensing, and next-gen memory and storage.
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According to Kuo, OpenAI is now targeting mass production of its first AI phone as early as the first half of 2027. That’s a notable shift from Kuo’s previous claims, pointing to a much later timeline. The analyst suggests the company appears to be accelerating development of the device to strengthen its position in the emerging AI agent device category and possibly to support a future IPO.
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Kuo also claims that MediaTek has now emerged as the leading candidate to supply the processor. Qualcomm was also previously said to be under consideration, but that seems to have changed.
The new MediaTek chip is tipped to be a customized version of the rumored Dimensity 9600, reportedly built on TSMC’s next-generation N2P process and expected to be revealed in the second half of 2026.
Kuo notes that this updated chip will apparently focus on improving AI workloads rather than pure smartphone performance metrics.
He claims that the ISP (image signal processor) will be the “headline” feature, with an enhanced HDR pipeline designed to improve visual understanding. That lines up with the idea of an AI-focused phone that can continuously look at and understand its surroundings.
Elsewhere, Kuo notes that other specs include a dual-NPU architecture for handling different types of AI workloads more efficiently, alongside LPDDR6 RAM and UFS 5.0 storage.
On the security side, features like pKVM (protected Kernel-based Virtual Machine) and inline hashing are said to be part of the design. These are data protection security features that many Android phones, like Google’s Pixel devices, already implement.
If the development of this rumored OpenAI phone stays on track, Kuo estimates that the combined shipments for 2027 and 2028 could reach around 30 million units. That’s quite an ambitious target for a first-generation device from a company that has never made a phone before, especially in a category that doesn’t fully exist yet.
Meanwhile, OpenAI has said nothing about this phone or its plans to make one.
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